Okean Elzy reaffirms its dominance on Ukraine's music scene with new recording (10/23/05)

Okean Elzy reaffirms its dominance on Ukraine's music scene with new recording

by Zenon Zawada
Kyiv Press Bureau

LVIV - With the launch of their new album "Gloria" on September 22, Okean Elzy has sealed its status as the most dominant influence in Ukrainian popular music today.

The group's October concert in Lviv revealed just how integral to Ukrainian culture they've become.

Before they came out on stage, the tracks off "Gloria" blared through the speakers on stage. Though released only two weeks earlier, scores of young fans sang along, having already memorized most of the songs.

Appearing on stage, the 30-year-old Sviatoslav Vakarchuk looked as though he is in the midst of an artistic nirvana, confidently and passionately dancing on stage, captivating the audience's attention with every strut, jump and howl.

The four other band members complemented him and fed off his wild energy.

Mr. Vakarchuk brings a revolutionary image of sexual energy, confidence and artistic unrestraint hardly seen in Ukrainian popular music, whose stars are typically reserved or low key, and are rarely seen dancing on stage.

Of course, he had his predecessors, namely Oleh Skrypka. However, Ukrainian newspapers have recently referred to Okean Elzy as Ukraine's "mini-Beatles" - a band that mystically captures the mood, thoughts and sound of an entire generation.

"Gloria" is a masterpiece of pop music, the result of more than 11 years of Okean Elzy's gradual melding and evolution as a band. Their line-up has changed, with former guitarist Pavlo Hudimov leaving, replaced by Petro Cherniavskyi, a tall and lanky yet dynamic guitar player.

And though a five-piece rock band can seem excessive, this has brought a whole new depth and sophistication to their music.

While some songs delve into love, many also express the frustration and disappointment Ukrainians feel after the Orange Revolution. What will become a classic song in Ukrainian music, "Ikony Ne Plachut" (Icons Don't Cry) is a deep, moving reflection on the disappointment Ukrainians have felt since the Orange Revolution. Mr. Vakarchuk said he penned the song on a visit to a monastery.

"Gloria" was released just two weeks after President Viktor Yushchenko fired his Cabinet of Ministers, so it's almost certain that this song, as well as the rest of the album, was recorded beforehand.

The lyrics of the second verse are particularly revealing:

"We are not allowed foreign thoughts/ We're comfortable as it is/ Maybe we need to buy a plane ticket just once/ On a freedom plane."

When introducing "Ikony Ne Plachut" at the Lviv concert, Mr. Vakarchuk said it was a serious song about the values people have and carry in life, without making any political reference.

The cover track, "Gloria," is a reference to "slava" (glory) and how it can be within one's grasp in one moment, and then elusive the next.

"Hey, your name, your name is so familiar to us/ Hey your name, your name, time takes further and further away," is the refrain.

While some of Okean Elzy's songs have traditionally touched on social or political issues, the majority of its songs delve into the complicated feelings of love and relationships.

"Gloria's" other big hits, "Vysche Neba" (Higher Than the Sky) and "Bez Boyu" (Without A Fight) are both songs illuminating the fierce pain and struggles felt amidst a love relationship.

The "Bez Boyu" refrain can resonate with anyone who has been hurt by a loved one but refuses to let go:

"Who are you, you took away my life/ And didn't return it/ Who are you, you drank my blood/ And fell over drunk/ Your eyes call and want me/They draw me toward you/ Who are you and who were you?/ I won't surrender without a fight."

Such songs kept thousands of fans of all ages dancing and jumping in unrelenting excitement for two and a half hours. At certain points, Mr. Vakarchuk seemed like an orchestra director.

When he clapped to a song, the crowd clapped. When he jumped, the youngsters in the crowd jumped.

Of course, there were those moments that could not be imitated, when Mr. Vakarchuk began wildly pounding away at a tambourine in gypsy-like fashion.

Or when he climbed the stack of three tall speakers and stood towering above the crowd, appearing as if he were ready to dive into the crowd.

Toward the concert's end, thousands of balloons were released into the crowd; Mr. Vakarchuk later asked the people to kindly pop as many of them as they could.

The crowd, which ranged from pimpled-faced teenagers to middle-aged women with their first few streaks of gray, demanded three encores from Okean Elzy, which the band gladly delivered.

Perhaps it was Lviv's sentimental value as the band's hometown that gave it the incentive to please the thrilled crowd.

"It's good to be home," Mr. Vakarchuk said during the concert.

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